10 top tips to become the worst salesperson ever!

Most sales articles are designed to help you train the best sales teams in the country. Not this one. This article is designed to do the exact opposite. It is a blueprint of everything you should not do when trying to influence people to take an interest in your product.
Now you may be forgiven for wondering why anyone in their right mind would write an article to help you suck at sales. The answer is simple: because many of the awful sales techniques I’m about to ‘recommend’ are still being used by many salespeople today.
So if you want to identify exactly where your weakness may be...then it helps to understand the basic blunders that continue to hinder the success of many sales teams across the country.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the top 10 tips to become the worst salesperson the world has ever known.
1. Lack of punctuality.
Trust and reliability are the cornerstones of building successful connections with potential customers. Punctuality sets the right tone from the beginning. Turning up late will do the exact opposite. Your sales people will represent the first contact prospects have with your company. First impressions are lasting ones and your salesperson need to make a good impression. Being on time will give a good impression to the client and increase their confidence in your company.
2. Poor presentation
Some sales people just do not have all their ducks in a row and simply do not present the product well. A presentation is the first opportunity a customer gets to learn about your product. If your product is not shown correctly to the customer he is very unlikely to buy.
3. Bad attitude
Rudeness and unprofessional behavior is not acceptable under any circumstances. It is quite surprising that you will meet some salespeople who are just plain rude and abrupt with you the customer. Rudeness comes in many forms. It could be as simple as trying to force a customer to buy a product, reacting badly to rejections or good old fashioned hostility and abruptness. What the specifics may be, it is essential to identify and hire sales people with the right attitude from the outset. Otherwise a bad experience with those at the front line of your company creates a negative impression, and your sales and reputation will suffer as a result.
4. Not being articulate
A salesperson must know how to express themselves with confidence and fluency. They need to be able to greet the prospect and introduce themselves with assurance. This will start the whole presentation off to a good start. When they actually present the product they must have the ability to do this in a confident manner. They should also be prepared to answer all questions concisely and well. If your salesperson cannot do this, your sale will not go through.
5. Ignore the prospect
A salesperson should not only be able to present your product but listen to the prospective buyer. There is nothing more irritating to the consumer than having a salesperson go on about a product and not letting you ask a few simple questions. After all whose money is on the line here? Worse still is when you do finally get to ask your question and instead of giving you a straight answer they go off on a tangent and have clearly not been listening to you. This will make a customer angry and they will probably never do business with you.
6. Depending solely on cost
It is extremely risky for a salesperson to depend on cost to close the sales. The prospective buyer will be quick to take advantage when he sees that the deal depends on the cost factor. They will drive the price as low as they can and you will take a heavy cut in profits for the sake of a sale. Alternatively, the buyer may hold off without making a purchase
7. Not knowing when to close a sale
This is a common fault but a lethal one. Many sales have been lost because the salesperson did not know when to close the sale. A good salesperson is in tune with the prospective buyer and knows instinctively when to move to close the sale.
8. Forcing the hard sell
A hard sell is when sales people try to push the sale on the prospective customer. This will make the buyer defensive and he will try to get rid of your salesperson as soon as possible. It is a proven fact that nobody likes to be sold to.
9. Inflexibility
A salesperson should be aware of different personalities and situations. They must be flexible and be able to adapt to different circumstances. The presentation may be the same but the buyers are rarely the same. Each buyer wants to feel special and expects the salesperson to understand his circumstances. The inability to adapt accordingly will ultimately reduce sales
10. Not following up a hot prospect
The follow up is very important. It is actually plain good manners. You have spoken to a person who has expressed interest in your company’s product but may not have been able to make a decision yet. It is courteous and good for business to follow up with them. You may even make a sale this way. If your salesperson does not know how to do this, you will end up losing valuable customers and sales.